Good Old Time Prices!

About 10 years ago at Cosford show there used to be a chap who flogged a bit of surplus(mostly clothing) off of a couple of trestle tables.

One of the gems he had were a couple of small boxes of pairs of used RAF issue white aircrew gloves.
You had to rummage a bit to find a pair that fit you.Some pairs only had light damage,i.e a small hole or tear in one finger,say,but a 3 quid a pair they were’nt a bad bargain when you consider the price of a new pair on E-Bay these days.

Miggers:D

£300 for the C type and mask seems expensive…even now – with faked goggles!!!

TT

prices are relative,the prices quoted in the add in the time they were advertised represent allot higher value than the same money now, don’t forget inflation. Prices are market driven pure and simple, and of coarse if a part is rare its going to make more money. There may be fluctuations as with the turn and slips, its true they got very hard to find for a while, but there is one at least every week now. Generally prices will continue to rise because there is not a renewable source for WWII parts. The best way to build a large collection is to start dealing, its allot of hard work but gives some extra spending power.:D

I’ve seen no sign of prices levelling off, so you must assume the market is not yet saturated.

There’s a noticeable “glut and famine” of certain stuff. For example, a couple of years ago I was always saying to my mate “You never see Turn and Slip Indicators anymore”. Yet, in the last twelve months, I’ve seen more than in the whole of the preceding five years. This is bound to depress prices a little but as soon as the glut turns to famine, they will go up again.

As for the eBay debate, well I guess it has it’s good and bad sides. I think, as a collector, I’d rather it had never been invented. I’ve bought relatively few treasures on eBay, but it has had a knock on effect on prices everywhere. Good if you are selling of course, but bad if you are collecting.

Then again, as the price of stuff continues to increase, there is the long term financial gain when you decide to sell up, or thin out the collection. My pal and I are just starting to consider this prospect. Part of the debate will be, do we sell on eBay or at the ‘jumbles.

Watch this space! 😀

Has the market become saturated or has the internet made it easier for sellers to showcase their items? Or both?

Will prices for common items (e.g., electrical components) continue to climb or have they leveled off?

Not certain when that particular ad dates from, but as a life long collector of this kind of stuff, I can tell you that Lance’s prices always bring a tear to my eye – and not of joy, either!

Oh for the days of the local Army Surplus store, crammed with all kinds of useless rubbish, at bottom dollar prices. My own, in Crewe, sold brand new condition, nos Type C leather flying helmets, still in boxes for two bob. That was just pre-decimilisation. Two bob = 10p for those too challenged to work it out! :diablo:

Whenever I’m in the more run down areas of pastures new, I always keep an eye out, just in case by some time warp miracle, there are still genuine Army Surplus stores to be explored. The last one I recall was in ——–* in 1995. It had sundry wartime Air Ministry equipment, including switches, still at almost pre-decimilisation prices.

* No, Nick Wotherspoon when you eventually read this, not the mill, this one was pure army surplus tat.

Remember the good old days, check out some of these prices, found in old Flypast ad, “Lances” Trading, nice selection of items for sure, cheers

Indeed, in 1986 and 1991 IIRC there where two Halifax throttle boxes advertised for sale. The first one for 65 gbp!:eek:

If only I had started collecting sooner…

Cees

memories

Kiss those prices goodbye